Posted on: Saturday, June 18, 2005

Dog breeder faces state tax charges

Advertiser Staff

A former dog breeder and kennel operator who faces cruelty to animals charges has been indicted by the O'ahu grand jury on state tax charges.

Lucy Kagan is charged in the indictment returned this week with two misdemeanor counts of not filing state general excise tax returns for 2001 and 2002 and two felony counts of trying to evade paying the taxes for those years.

The misdemeanors each carry up to a year in prison and the felonies each carry a prison term of up to five years.

Kagan has been embroiled in a long-standing dispute with the Hawaiian Humane Society following a kitchen fire at her Hawai'i Kai rented condominium in 2003. Nearly 30 dogs were found there living in what the society said were deplorable conditions.

She is scheduled to go on trial in the cruelty to animals case later this year.